


You're Wasting Away

by Befrie08



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: After the farm era, Before the prison, Cute, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2020-08-19 02:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20202559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Befrie08/pseuds/Befrie08
Summary: Set during the time on the road after the farm was lost and before they found the prison. Carol considers her worth in the group and Daryl worries about how thin she is getting. Cuteness ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little moment set in between season 2 and 3. I like to imagine that this was the first instance of "Stop". Enjoy.

They were all settling in for the night in a parking lot. There were wrecked cars everywhere providing a good amount of cover from any potential threats. Carol set herself a little way away from the others. It wasn’t that she didn’t like to sleep near them. It was more that she didn’t feel worthy. She set her bag down and began to get as comfortable as possible under the ratty blanket. It wasn’t very thick but it would have to do. 

She jumped a little as a dull thud resounded close by. She turned to the sound and found a familiar jacket deposited a few metres from her. She watched as Daryl lay on the ground, bunching the jacket under his head as a pillow and covering himself with a similar blanket to hers. She frowned. 

Daryl had been lingering close lately and she’d caught him watching her with a strange look. This was the first time he’d dared to sleep so close though. He usually slept as far away as possible from the group if he wasn’t on watch or hunting. As if he could hear her thinking about him, his head turned to her and she quickly looked away. 

“What’s the hell are you doing?” he asked abruptly. Carol turned her head to look at him in surprise. He looked angry. 

“I’m going to sleep…” she trailed off obviously. He shook his head and looked annoyed at her answer. 

“I mean what are you doing to yourself?” 

Carol was speechless. 

“You think I ain’t seen ya givin’ Lori your portion of dinner most nights?” he asked in an accusing tone. She sputtered for a moment. 

“Lori needs it. For the baby,” Carol insisted. 

“What about you?” Daryl asked not placated at all. She was a little annoyed herself that he was pushing this. 

“I’m fine,” she defended with a glare. Daryl scoffed and her glare deepened.

“Yeah, you’re fine. You’re skin and bones!” he whisper yelled at her and she flinched. She guessed she had lost a bit of weight but they all had. Life on the road was hard. 

“It doesn’t matter,” she muttered looking away. 

“The hell ya mean, it doesn’t matter?” Daryl cried angrily, sitting up and making her flinch again. She figured she would never get used to men yelling but not with intention to hurt her. Daryl looked a little sheepish at having made her jump. She looked around to check everyone was still sleeping. 

“Shhh. I meant that there are more important people in this group,” Carol explained in a quieter voice. Her words caused Daryl to frown again. She huffed.

“Lori is pregnant, the kids need to be protected, but everyone else can hold their own. Me? I do laundry and cook.” She crossed her arms, feeling the chill bite at her. Daryl studied her, still looking either pissed off or baffled by her answer. 

“You think that’s not an important thing to do?” he asked incredulously and she sighed. 

“I know where it sits in the list of priorities. Any idiot can heat up a damned pot.” 

“You say that now but remember that time Glenn offered to cook for ya?” Daryl said and she couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her. Daryl’s chuckled with her at the memory. 

“You have a point there,” Carol conceded, remembering the disgusting concoction Glenn had subjected them to. Needless to say, he was never allowed to have cooking duties again. 

“You’re wastin’ away, Carol.” Daryl pointed out seriously after a beat. He didn’t look angry now, just worried. She didn’t know what to say so she kept quiet. Daryl sighed and stood. She watched him close the distance between them, carrying his blanket. He deposited said blanket onto her. 

“What are you doing?” she asked in confused protest. 

“You’re gonna freeze. Ya ain’t got no body heat,” Daryl explained simply as he returned to his spot. He lay back down on his jacket.

“You’ll freeze too!” she hissed at him. She saw him shake his head. 

“Nah, I’ll be alright, Been in worse than this,” he responded, sounding confident in that fact. It always tore her heart whenever he offhandedly hinted towards his troubled upbringing. She pursed her lips but settled down under the added layer. The blanket unfortunately did not cover her whole body. It also had tears and holes in it. Due to this, she was soon shivering as the night grew colder. She turned over this way and that in an attempt to cover herself better but nothing was working. She almost screamed when a large shadow loomed over her before she realised with relief that it was Daryl. 

“Y’ need body heat. Move over,” he ordered and she did so with little hesitation. He lay down beside her and without bothering to ask, she covered them both the best she could with the blankets. She could feel how rigid his body was lying beside her and knew he was uncomfortable. She knew he didn’t like being close to people. 

“Daryl, you don’t have to. I know you’re uncomfortable,” Carol said softly. She felt some of the tension leave him then. 

“I’m fine. Go to sleep,” he said gruffly. She could already feel his warmth surrounding her and it wasn’t long until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. 

Daryl on the other hand, was not sleeping. He was staring down at Carol’s peaceful, sleeping face. He’d never been this close to her before. That wasn’t saying much. He’d never been this close to many people before and for good reason. People sucked. 

He’d never been this close to a woman before especially. That was for good reason too. The women he had encountered were the trashy skanks his brother was fond of and Daryl wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot pole. 

Carol was different though. She was kind, sweet and classy. Before he had grown closer to her, he had assumed all women just liked to bitch and complain, like Lori was fond of doing. Carol never showed signs of it though. She seemed to just treat everyone equally with kindness. It was a miraculous thing to him considering everything she had been through. 

His mama had been kind, which didn’t last long once his daddy took to her and she turned to the drink. Carol had every reason to hate people and push them away but she was always so warm and inviting. 

He watched her eyes move under her lids as she slept and he couldn’t help the smile the twitched on his lips. He felt a strange pride for her. She didn’t know how brave she was and she clearly didn’t understand her worth. He frowned as he noticed the way her bones poked through her skin too much. He had to get her eating properly again. Despite her beliefs, Lori got plenty of food for herself and the baby. He knew that Hershel and even Rick, despite how little he interacted with his wife, were giving her extra. 

He flinched as she burrowed closer to him so her head was on his chest. His gut reaction was to push her away, afraid of the strange contact but he ignored it. After a few minutes, he found the sensation to be not so bad after all. It was even nice. He watched her again curiously. His eyes drifted over her as he contemplated her. He studied her hair, which had begun to grow out a little, the ends beginning to curl. 

Merle would call her ugly for her hair alone. He didn’t like chicks with short hair. He considered them all to be lesbians. Daryl didn’t share this viewpoint. This was mainly because Daryl didn’t consider women at all. Merle had thought he was gay for a while but soon came to accept Daryl just wasn’t interested. And he wasn’t. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like girls because sure, some of them were nice to look at. The reason he had never pursued a woman is because of his shame. His scars. He would never let anyone that close to him. Just for a quick tumble, it wasn’t worth it. He didn’t need it. Merle, however considered it essential to life. 

He considered Carol again and decided he found her to be pretty. Hair was just hair. Her face mirrored who she was inside. Her eyes, though closed now, were bright and blue and shone with her inner warmth. He moved his gaze to her lips now, realising he’d never looked at them properly before. They were small and bowed, a little chapped from the cold, but looked impossibly soft. They parted a little as she sighed in her sleep. 

He knew a woman like Carol was way too good for the likes of him. For a moment though he allowed himself to imagine she was his. His girl. It sounded good in his head despite how ridiculous it really was. He unconsciously pulled her a little closer. He didn’t mind that he couldn’t have her though. As he always believed, he didn’t need that kind of relationship. He was happy enough that she considered him a friend. He continued to contemplate her until his eyes grew heavy enough for him to fall into a slumber. 

The morning light glared down on the slowly awakening group of survivors. People were gathering their things and packing up their makeshift camp. Two were only just waking up. 

“Morning,” Carol greeted as she blinked up at him from her place resting on Daryl’s chest. Daryl avoided her gaze and his cheeks were a little red. He gently pulled away from her and she didn’t put up resistance. 

“Morning,” he muttered quietly as he brought his thumb up to chew on. He glanced at her shyly as she stretched her limbs and yawned. 

“That’s the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. We should sleep together more often,” Carol said with a flirty flutter of eyelashes. He stared at her stunned for a moment before scoffing. He grabbed his bow and stood up. 

“Stop.” 

She giggled in response and watched him walk off.


	2. The Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl continues his policing on Carol's dining habits and Carol begins to test the waters with him.

Carol kept her head down as she ate her breakfast that morning. She could feel his eyes burning into her from across the way. He had watched her like a hawk as she got her food and sat down. She knew he would be watching for it so, even though she felt guilty, she didn’t give her food to Lori.

She was struggling to eat though. It was more food than she had been having lately. Some of the others had already finished and gone to complete other tasks or amble around while they waited to move again.

She continued to push her food around on the plate with a sigh. The morning light disappeared from where it shined in her eyes and she looked up. Of course. There he was as if on cue, giving her a pointed look.

“I’m trying Daryl. It’s too much,” she admitted before he ever spoke.

“It ain’t enough,” he retorted with a scoff. He settled beside her on the ground.

She groaned inwardly. He was not going to leave her alone until she finished it.

“Do I gotta feed you my damn self,” he spat with an annoyed glare.

She looked at him with wide eyes. She was unable to stop the snort that came from her. The image of him feeding her like a baby was too funny. It also caused her stomach to clench but she ignored that.

Daryl shook his head at her laughing form but she could see mirth in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I promise, I really am trying,” Carol promised as she got herself under control. Though it made her feel ill, she continued taking bites of her meal until it was all gone.

She held up her plate to display the emptiness. His mouth quirked and he nodded.

“Do I get a reward now?” Carol teased with an exaggerated flutter of her lashes.

Daryl stared at her with slowly reddening cheeks.

“Uh…” he murmured as his eyes darted about.

Carol took pity on him. She wasn’t that cruel to continue torturing him.

She began giggling. The tension broke.

He shook his head with a grunt. He pushed up onto his feet.

“You got problems, woman!” he remarked before he stomped away.

She smirked in victory. She didn’t know why but it made her tingle inside when she successfully rile him up. It was a new power she never knew she could use.

Rick called the camp over. Everyone gathered around and waited for the speech.

“Okay, so I know everyone has been speculating on where we’re going. I’m sorry to tell you that I still don’t have an answer,” Rick revealed. His eyes scanned everyone as if daring someone to complain.

No one really complained in the group any more, apart from Lori. After Rick’s outburst about it not being a democracy any more, people had begun to fear him as much as they looked to him for guidance.

“At this point, I think we should just continue as we have been. We’ll find a place on the way,” he finished with a nod.

Carol saw Daryl shake his head but, as with everyone else, he said nothing.

Part of her wished he was more assertive and that he were the leader of the group instead of Rick. The rational part of her did not really want this. She could see how much of a burden leading was to Rick at times and she wouldn’t wish that on Daryl. Besides that, he had no interest in leading. He seemed happy to follow and only speak when absolutely necessary.

Everyone went about packing up their things and heading to their vehicles.

Carol began to do the same when she felt a hand grasp her gently on the shoulder. She spun around in response.

She came face to face with Lori, belly protruding slightly.

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that you’re more than welcome to ride with us,” Lori invited with a kind smile.

“Oh,” Carol started, taken off guard by the unexpected offer.

She was distracted momentarily by Daryl brushing past, on his way to his bike.

Remembering Lori’s question, she returned her attention to the other woman.

“Thanks for the offer but I’m actually okay with Daryl,” she smiled to accompany her response.

Lori gave her an odd look but, nodded and walked over to the car where Carl sat inside, waiting.

Carol grabbed her things and hurried over to where she heard the bike begin to purr.

Daryl’s attention was completely on the bike, loading a few items into the saddle bag.

She cleared her throat to get his attention and, surprisingly, he actually jumped a little.

She enjoyed that small victory silently. Managing to sneak up on him was not a small thing.

He eyed her expectantly.

“You need something?”

She curbed her instinct to crack a line at that.

She smiled shyly.

“I was hoping there was still room for one more on the bike.”

His brows furrowed.

“I thought you were riding with Lori and Rick.”

“She offered, yes. I said no because I’m pretty happy with the original arrangement.”

He continued to stare at her strangely.

Doubt began to niggle at her. Maybe she had misread things. Maybe she had overstayed her welcome.

“Unless you’d rather I ride with them. I’m sure I could catch them still…” she trailed off awkwardly.

He leaned back a little, still giving her a look she couldn’t really decipher. It was like he was considering her sanity.

“Uh, you can ride with me if you want,” he muttered, looking at her through his lengthening fringe.

She blew out her breath in relief and grinned.

She stuffed her things into the back of the bike and clambered on behind him. She hid her continued smile behind his back.

Feeling daring, she settled her arms around his waist.

He jumped like she had just stabbed him with a pin. She almost pulled her arms back in response but she held firm.

“Sorry. Is this okay? I just don’t want to fall off.”

She watched him take a deep breath in and then out.

She waited. She was beginning to suspect some things about him. One being that perhaps it wasn’t that he didn’t like being touched, but that he was unused to it.

“It’s alright,” he murmured finally, relaxing once more.

She tightened her hold and smiled again.

These small achievement made being alive worth it to her.

She didn’t have much left but she had this.


	3. New Skills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl gives Carol a knife and teaches her how to use it. Then, she gets the chance to test out her new skills.

“So you wanna make sure you hold it tight. The knuckle grip’ll help but you don’t wanna rely on it,” Daryl instructed as he held her hand in his.

Carol tried her best to think methodically about it. She couldn’t help enjoying how surprisingly gentle his touch was, though. It was contradictory to the front he always presented, same as when he gave her the Cherokee rose. It had taken little time for her to realise that behind his hard exterior was a gentle soul.

The knife was in her hand, her fingers through the holes of the grip. He had manoeuvred her hand to grip it tighter than she had been. It was, admittedly, a little uncomfortable but she hoped it would become more natural as she gained experience.

“Alright. How does that feel?” he asked as he let go of her.

“Okay, I guess. Feels a little weird but that’s probably because I’m not used to it,” she responded honestly. He nodded understandingly. She was glad he was being patient with her.

“That’s okay. The good thing is we got a whole group with us. If and when we find walkers, we’ll get some practice in for you.”

“Thanks again for this. I know it must be a pain but I appreciate it.”

“Ain’t no bother to me. You listen well so you ain’t making it hard.”

She felt pride bloom at his praise despite his offhand tone. She wanted him to be proud of her because his opinion mattered. She wanted to show him that she had more use than just cooking and cleaning. He seemed to have faith that she could do it so she would try her best to prove him right.

He took the knife from her then and slid it into its sheath. He handed her the completed piece.

“Clip that to your belt and make sure its above your clothes so you got easy access,” he instructed as she took it from him.

She hastened to follow his direction, clipping the knife in place on her hip. She tucked her shirt behind it and looked up at him for approval. He nodded with a small upward tilt to his mouth.

The rest of the group was sitting around waiting to get moving again. Rick had gone on ahead with Glenn to check out the road and look for a possible safe house for the night. Daryl had of course offered to go with them but Rick had told him to stay back and keep an eye on everyone. Daryl had used the opportunity to take her aside and start teaching her about her knife.

Carol leaned back on the bike and watched Daryl as he began pacing the perimeter once more. She was pleasantly surprised that he still allowed her to ride with him. She had begun to wonder when he would tell her to find another ride. She had thought he would appreciate the space without her. But he had not told her any such thing. She knew that she was welcome to ride with any of the others. She just felt safer with Daryl.

It was also beginning to become clear to herself that she harboured a bit of a crush on the hunter. She snorted. Crush? What was she, in elementary school?

“What?” Daryl questioned as he passed her. She blushed and smiled tightly.

“Nothing, just lost in thought.”

He eyed her for a moment before he shrugged and turned his attention back to the area.

She sighed, inwardly rolling her eyes at herself. They didn’t have time for this stuff anyway. They needed to focus on surviving. Besides, he wouldn’t be interested in her like that.

\---

Rick and Glenn had returned and informed everyone that they had found a house. Rick told them to wait back while he and some of the others cleared it first.

The ‘others’ he meant included Glenn, T Dog, Maggie and Daryl. Carol had been ready to head over to stand with Hershel, Beth and Lori but Daryl snagged her arm on her way.

“You wanna get some practice in?” he asked with a pointed look at her knife. She couldn’t help the swell of anxiety inside her at the thought of confronting walkers but she nodded her head quickly.

“You stay close to me and keep that knife up,” he instructed as she followed at his side. Rick gave them a curious glance but said nothing as they moved toward the house.

It was a quaint, suburban home that once upon a time must have been charming to behold. It resembled nothing of that now. The front yard was in ruin. The lawn was strewn with bloody clothes and corpses. The flowers had been torn from their original beds and were decayed on the ground. The once chipper yellow of the paint on the weatherboard of the house was chipped and peeling and stained with unnamed fluids.

They stood against either side of the front door. Rick, Glenn and T Dog on the left and Maggie, Daryl and herself on the right. Her heart was beating so hard and she was thankful that there was no evidence to say that walkers had advanced hearing.

Rick looked each of them in the eye, even Carol herself, which made her feel strangely joyful. Probably because it made her feel like she was essential.

She saw Daryl nod at Rick out of the corner of her eye. Rick reached forward, turned the door handle and pushed it with one hand, the other holding his colt. Glenn banged loudly on the door frame and they waited, listening.

There was no response so with another glance to the group, Rick led the way inside. Carol stuck as close as possible to Daryl’s back.

Rick made some strange hand motions that she didn’t understand but of course, Daryl did. Daryl pushed her shoulder gently and indicated with his head towards the first room in the hallway. She followed carefully, trying not to crowd him. She didn’t want something to happen to him if she accidentally distracted him.

Daryl opened the door quickly and aimed his bow left and right as he stepped inside. Carol shuffled in after him, clenching her knife tightly. The room was empty and her shoulders slumped in relief. She kept expecting a walker to pop out from every corner and she knew she needed to calm down. Panicking was only going to make her a liability.

After examining the room for any potential threat, Daryl turned to glance at her. His eyes held a question and she nodded to him to say that, yes, she was okay. Satisfied with her response, he indicated with his head for her to follow him. He led her over to the door across the room.

He pushed it open and she followed closely. She heard it before she saw it. The growls and snarls made her heart jump. Stupidly she waited for Daryl to take the walker down with his arrow as normal. Instead he lowered his bow completely.

The walker had been a man but as was the normal for them, it was practically unrecognisable as a human being.

He urged her forward and she inched closer nervously.

“You wanna aim for the eye socket, that’s a sure kill. Can’t always be sure their skulls are soft enough,” Daryl informed her, keeping his attention on the walker that approached slowly. She gulped and winced at his words. Her stomach turned at the thought of stabbing it at all. She shook the feeling away. She needed to be strong now.

“Okay,” she replied in a shaky voice.

Daryl gripped her shoulder gently making her look over at him with wide eyes.

“You good?” he asked in a concerned tone, looking her up and down. She worried her lip, unsure whether she was or not.

“I’m right here, alright?” he reminded her, squeezing her shoulder gently. She swallowed thickly and nodded. Already she felt better with the reassurance. Carol lifted her knife and edged closer to the walker.

It was snapping it’s jaws eagerly as it ambled forward, only metres away. She was soon face to face with the walker, her nose screwing up as the scent of it’s rotting body hit her nose. She thrust her knife forward aiming for the gaping hole of it’s eye socket, where the eyeball had already rotted away. It sunk it slowly, making a squelching noise, which made her stomach roll. She kept pushing the blade until she felt the corpse stop moving. She wrenched her arm back, her knife coming out of the walker. It slumped to the ground with a thud.

She stood staring down at the unmoving thing on the floor in wonder. She had killed a walker. It felt strange to acknowledge it. Every time they ever had confronted walkers before now, one of the others would deal with it. She had never had an opportunity to even try before.

“Hey, you okay?” she heard from behind her and she realised that she had forgotten about Daryl’s presence. She turned around. He was watching her closely, scrutinising her.

“I’m fine.”

He nodded but still looked worried.

“You sure?”

Carol nodded and then she grinned. She let out a breathy laugh.

“I’m better than fine. I killed a walker!” she cried as the weight of the statement hit her. Daryl’s mouth turned up a little.

“Yeah, you did. You did good,” he complimented her and she beamed. His praise meant a lot to her.

“Thanks,” she said shyly, now feeling a little foolish for her glee. Killing walkers was old news to him. He only nodded, avoiding her gaze.

“Come on, there might be more. Let’s go find the others.”

She straightened her back and brought her knife back up to the ready as she followed him out of the room.


	4. Bed Mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group settle for the night in the house where Carol killed her first walker. 
> 
> Daryl polices Carol's dinner again and later, some cute sleepy antics ensue.

To Carol’s relief and, surprisingly, disappointment, they didn’t find any more walkers in the house. The rest had been taken out by Rick, Glenn and Maggie.

Daryl had caught her little frown as Rick announced the house to be clear. He had given her a smirk and she ducked her head while blushing deeply.

Rick went back to retrieve the others and Carol set about getting dinner started.

They didn’t have much left from Glenn and Maggie’s last run, but Daryl had brought back a dozen squirrels the other day. 

Carol blushed as she poured some canned veggies into a pot. She remembered the last time she had cooked them squirrel. Daryl had given her an approving look and commented: “You always cook ‘em best.”

She shook her head. She was losing her mind about a silly little compliment that he probably didn’t even mean. Still, whenever his sweet side came out, she felt her heart flutter like a schoolgirl.

She needed to get a handle on this stupid little crush she had on him. She knew it wouldn’t lead to anything. They had more important things to worry about, like staying alive for one thing.

She could respect and admire Glenn and Maggie’s relationship. Them coming together in this world was a beautiful thing. They were young and had their whole lives ahead of them, hopefully.

She, on the other hand, was old, plain and unattractive. It had been drummed into her head multiple times by her late husband. No one would want her. Especially not someone handsome like Daryl.

Allowing herself to hope for something with Daryl was a waste of time and did her no good. While he was kind to her and had helped through the hardest time in her life, she knew that was where it ended. He just saw her as a friend, a fellow survivor.

She was broken from her self-pity by the sounds of activity in the house. The others had arrived.

She hastened on making their dinner, knowing the group was starving.

\--

Later, they all sat in the living room, eating the food she had made. It wasn’t much, just squirrel and canned vegetables, but everyone seemed appreciative either way.

Daryl had even given her another smile as she handed him a bowl. She had ducked her head to hide her blush.

She settled down on the floor with her own bowl. She had not given herself as much as the others. It wasn’t like before, trying to give them more, but she didn’t think she’d be able to eat it all.

She jumped as she heard a clatter to her left. She watched as the crossbow settled on the ground. Daryl quickly sat down beside her.

She frowned. Hadn’t he been on the other side of the room before?

He looked over and there was a strange look on his face. She quickly realised what he was looking at. Her bowl.

“It’s plenty for me,” she muttered with a sigh.

Daryl shook his head and ignoring her protest, he scooped some food from his own bowl into hers.

“Daryl!” she cried.

“It ain’t enough!” he argued back with a hard look.

“I’m not going to be able to eat it all!” she groaned at him.

“Give it your best go,” he retorted with a challenge in his eyes.

She huffed and, with a glare at him, she ate her food slowly.

Surprisingly, she ate all of it. And it wasn’t much of a challenge after all. She set the bowl down and Daryl looked over its empty state. He smirked triumphantly.

“Told ya.”

Carol shoved him gently.

“Shut up.”

\--

After dinner the group parted to separate areas of the house.

Lori and Carl were put up in the master bedroom. Glenn and Maggie took the one down the hall from it. Hershel and Beth took the guest room downstairs. T Dog set himself up on the sofa in the den. That left the last bedroom upstairs.

Carol wandered up to it and stepped inside hesitantly. She felt her stomach fill with butterflies at the prospect of sleeping with Daryl again. She shook her head. That sounded dirtier than she intended.

He followed her into the room silently. He grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and carried it over to the corner of the room.

“What are you doing?” she asked with a frown.

He turned to look at her.

“Picking a place to sleep,” he answered with a frown of his own.

Carol blushed as she set her bag on the floor near the bed.

“Well, there’s a big bed here…” she trailed off while she watched him.

His frown deepened.

“Yeah, I know. It’ll be good for ya to sleep in a bed again.”

Carol shook her head at him.

“This bed is too big for just me. There’s plenty of room for you too.”

Daryl’s face heated and he avoided her eyes. He cleared his throat.

“Figured you’d want the space to yourself.”

Carol smiled at him indulgently. She knew she was still bushing.

“I don’t. I enjoyed sleeping with you the other night,” her blush deepened. “You know what I mean.”

Daryl chuckled, his own face still red.

“Yeah, I do.”

Daryl sobered and nodded while chewing his lip.

“Alright, if you’re sure.”

“I am,” Carol reassured him with a smile as she pulled back the covers on the bed.

Daryl returned the pillow to the bed and dropped his stuff on the floor.

Neither of them bothered taking off their boots. It was too risky. You never knew when you’d have to run with no warning. It was better to be prepared.

Carol climbed under the covers. She reached down under the blankets and pulled her knife out. She tucked it underneath her pillow.

She looked to Daryl and saw him watching her. She ducked her head a little. She hoped she hadn’t made a faux pas by putting her knife there. It was just likely to bruise her hip during sleep and it was easily accessible under her head. She could easily reach up and pull it out.

“Should I not do that?” Carol asked him nervously.

Daryl jumped and stared at her for a moment before he blushed.

“Nah, it’s fine. ‘s a good idea.”

Carol relaxed and grinned at him. She warred with herself before she patted the bed beside her and gave him a teasing look.

“Come on.”

His blush deepened and he approached the bed hesitantly.

Carol pulled the covers back on that side of the bed and patted it again.

He slid into the bed and lay on his back. He tugged the blankets over him.

Just like the night before when they had shared, he was stiff as a board lying beside her.

“You okay?” she asked him.

He turned his head to look at her. He avoided her eyes.

“Fine,” he muttered, and turned his head to stare up at the ceiling once more.

Carol snorted without meaning to and blushed at the noise she had made.

Daryl snapped his head to look at her with a frown.

She ducked her head a little under the blanket, but she couldn’t disguise the humour on her face.

”What?” he questioned suspiciously.

” It’s just, the walker I killed earlier would be less stiff than you are right now…” she trailed off.

Daryl huffed and she watched him consciously relax his body.

”Better?” he asked with a sarcastic tone.

Carol hummed and nodded.

”Much better.”

They were both silent in the room for a long time.

Daryl continued laying on his back, staring at the ceiling, whilst Carol lay on her side facing him.

She wasn’t trying to be creepy, she reasoned to herself as she watched him in the dark. It would probably look that way if she were caught. With that in mind, she turned over on her other side, worried that Daryl would turn his head and see her peering at him.

She lay like that for a while, trying to will herself into falling asleep.

Perhaps the bed was too lumpy and that was why she was having so much trouble.

She hadn’t heard anything other than quiet breathing on the other side of the bed, so she could only assume that Daryl was not having the same problems as her. He was probably sound asleep. God knows, he needed the rest. He did more than most in this group.

She huffed in annoyance and flopped onto her back. Her body was refusing to let her have any rest it seemed. Maybe it was adrenaline from her walker kill earlier.

“You alright?” Daryl asked out of nowhere, making her jump.

She had been sure he was asleep but now as she turned her head to look at him, she could see the tired, worn out look in his eyes. He must have been laying there unable to drift off, the same as her.

“Just can’t seem to sleep,” she admitted with defeat.

He made a humming noise.

“It’s ‘cause we ain’t used to sleepin’ in beds no more,” Daryl spoke to the quietness of the room. “Happened to me all the time when I’d get back from weeks on a hunt. Used to piss Merle off somethin’ crazy. I’d be up, pacing all night.”

Carol smiled at the information he offered up. He never talked about his life before the turn. He spoke even less about his brother, whose status of life remained ambiguous.

“I never thought that could be why. I don’t think I can remember the last time I slept in a proper bed,” Carol replied, turning on her side to face him properly.

Daryl hummed again, and after a beat, he turned his body to face her.

“Hard to keep track of a lot of things these days,” he said with tired eyes.

They lay watching each other like that for a while. Strangely, it didn’t feel awkward and for once, Daryl didn’t avoid eye contact. He just watched her, his eyes darting lazily to her different facial features.

“There anything I can do to help you sleep?” he broke the silence with soon. He chewed his lip, one of his signature nuances that she’d noticed about him.

Carol smiled, touched by his offer.

She knew one thing that would probably help, but she was hesitant to voice it, worried about what his reaction will be.

He had been so open tonight, though. Maybe he won’t be as adverse as she thinks.

“Well, I slept really well the other night,” she started carefully.

Daryl watched her silently. It took a moment for his mind to catch on to her words. She knew when he remembered the other night. He blushed deeply.

“I’m glad you slept well,” he mumbled as he ducked his head a little.

Carol had to hide her grin at his shy antics. She knew he would think she was probably laughing at him. It was just simply adorable. He had so many conflicting personalities in him. One moment he could be this tough, not afraid of anything, guy and the next he could be this sweet, shy man who almost seemed childlike.

“Maybe we could try it again? If you don’t mind,” Carol suggested nervously. She didn’t know what she would do if he shot her down. She would be extremely embarrassed to say the least.

Daryl seemed to think over her words deeply. The blush on his cheeks stood out amongst the dirt that had amassed on them over time.

“Alright,” he finally said, his tone hesitant.

He looked confused about how to progress from there and Carol took it upon herself to cross the small distance between them. She pressed her hand gently to his shoulder.

“Lie down,” she instructed in a soft voice, trying not to startle him.

He gave her a nervous look before he shuffled down on the bed to lay on his back.

She settled herself down next to him and tentatively rested her head on his left shoulder. His body, like the other night, was rigid and she suspected he was even holding his breath.

“Relax, Daryl. We’re not going to sleep if you’re stiff as a board,” she urged, keeping her voice light.

He audibly let out a rush of breath before he shifted slightly, jostling her a bit. She didn’t complain though. She could tell this was something difficult for him.

“Sorry. Just ain’t used to sleeping with someone,” he said, and she felt him freeze after he spoke the words.

“Shit, you know what I mean,” he muttered with an exasperated voice.

Carol couldn’t help the giggles that escaped her.

“I know what you mean,” she confirmed, controlling her laughter to speak soothingly to him.

They both re-settled themselves and she noted that he was a lot more relaxed than he had been. His slip with his words had broken some of the tension.

Carol was amazed to find her eyes growing heavy quicker than she expected. It seemed Daryl was her lucky charm. She blushed at the thought.

“This helpin’ you any?” Daryl spoke in quiet voice.

“It is. Thank you,” she confirmed, smiling even though he wouldn’t be able to see it in the dark. She felt him nod against her, his response to her gratitude.

“Goodnight,” he said next.

Carol nuzzled her head further into his shoulder and smiled as she closed her eyes.

“Goodnight, Daryl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking this story will go until they find the prison. Each chapter will be kind of like little one shots of moments during the break between season 2 and 3. There may be small time jumps between chapters too. 
> 
> Hope you're all doing okay in the craziness out there at the moment. 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


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